(U.S. Attorney's Office Press Release)
BILLINGS — A 17-year-old who admitted to murdering a man by shooting him on the Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced Wednesday to 29 years and seven months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Orrin Richard Alden III, of Crow Agency, pleaded guilty in September to an information charging him with second-degree murder and use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
“Far too many juveniles are resorting to deadly violence, which is as alarming as it is unacceptable. Alden took another young man’s life in a brutal and shocking way. He should no longer be on our streets, which is why we argued so strenuously for a long federal prison sentence. We can’t get the victim’s life back, but we will move swiftly and aggressively against those like Alden who think violence is the answer to their problems,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents, the government alleged that on May 5, 2024, an unidentified body was recovered from the Little Big Horn River in Crow Agency. The body was later determined to be an 18-year-old male identified as John Doe. An autopsy was conducted, and two bullets were recovered.
Doe’s family last saw him alive on either April 27 or 28 as he was walking with a group of males toward the location on the Little Big Horn River where his body was recovered. Alden was identified as one of the males in the group. On the day Doe disappeared, a witness saw Doe with a black backpack that contained marijuana, a sizeable amount of methamphetamine and a large amount of cash.
The government further alleged that the group of males, including Alden and Doe, drank alcohol and smoked marijuana before walking to the river. Alden and one of the other males were overheard discussing that Doe was carrying money. Alden, one of the males, and Doe got separated from the group. When that happened, a single shot was heard. Immediately after the first shot was heard, Alden was seen with a rifle in his hand. As Doe tried to run away, he grabbed his side and said, “You shot me, you shot me, Tripp (a nickname for Alden).” A second shot was heard. Minutes later, Alden and the male who was with him joined the rest of the group. They were laughing, and the other male had Doe’s backpack and the rifle.
The group then went to Alden’s house where Alden and the male who was seen carrying the backpack and rifle removed their clothing and put it in a black bag. The male used his shirt and rubbing alcohol to clean a hatchet. Another of the males asked if he could call an ambulance for Doe. The male who was with Alden when Doe was shot told him no. Alden and the male took the rifle and black bag of clothing and stashed them in an abandoned building near Alden’s house.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation.
